STEPS Expands To Strengthen Families

A local nonprofit continues to evolve to meet the needs of the community with the goal of strengthening families, as its acronym suggests.

Almost three years after Susan and Mark Hooks co-founded STEPS (Safety, Training, Education and Prevention Services), the organization has expanded its focus even more in an effort to bring families together and stronger.

“Our main focus before was parenting and supervised visitation,” Hooks explained from the well-appointed offices at 711B Garrison Ave. “Now we also do life skills, access to recovery and employment readiness, so the parents can support their children.”

In carrying out its mission to end violence and strengthen the family, STEPS is the only supervised visitation center in the area, working closely with the Department of Human Services’ Division of Child and Family Services to provide a safe space for parents to visit with their children, Hooks said.

Five themed visitation rooms, each equipped with a video camera recording the visit for safety, are filled with toys, books, activities and seating in a home-like setting for families to spend time with one another. There’s a train-themed room, a farm-themed room, a pink room, a teen room and a nursery.

“We went from five to 10 visitations a week to now over 230 to 250 a month,” she added, placing books on a shelf from a donation of several hundred books from Union Christian Academy in the hip teen space.

Since 2012, STEPS has provided more than 2,000 visitations for children and their family members in a safe, child-friendly environment at no cost.

“STEPS realizes the importance of having new materials and experiences for families to explore together each week at the center,” said Kathryn Gitthens, parent advocate. “Union Christian Academy’s generous donation will enhance visitations by providing a fresh stock of books for children of all ages to read and share with their parents.”

“We serve 360 children a month,” Hooks explained, adding that the facility meets all requirements for them to honor no-contact orders between parents. “Our goal is to strengthen families and give them the skills they need to be better parents.”

Through a variety of parenting classes, the STEPS Family Resource Center can do just that by equipping parents for early childhood parenting or raising teens or just putting the fun back into parenting.

There are also life skills classes covering topics from relationships and dealing with emotions to learning forgiveness or increasing self-esteem, according to Hooks.

“We’re focusing on getting training to start a Co-Parenting for Divorced Parents class, especially those having issues with domestic violence and anger,” Hooks explained, “and teach them to co-parent without anger. The more parents can learn to get along and problem-solve, the better off the children will be.

“One of the benefits of parents getting along after a divorce is that it helps the children in their relationships,” she added. “It’s the greatest gift you can give your children.”

Near the visitation room is a room that makes most people cry when they enter, Hooks said.

Stacked on shelves are totes and bins, each one filled with the personal belongings a child had to leave behind when they were taken from their home for whatever reason. Those shelves hold the only tie those 60 children had with their home and family.

“That’s the last link they have to their home,” Hooks said as tears filled her eyes. “It may seem like something small, but that might have been the last T-shirt their mom gave them.

“It’s important to us to keep it safe,” she added.

Also in the room are a few suitcases or duffel bags — items STEPS takes as donations — so that the childrens’ belongings are sent back to them in a nice bag.

“Sometimes (the belongings) come to us in trash bags,” Hooks explained. “We make sure that what things came to us leave in suitcases.”

Funded through grants and some private donations, STEPS is primarily funded through sale proceeds at The Purple Patch Thrift Store and More, 1224 Towson Ave., which provides used clothing, household items and furniture at reduced prices; 100 percent of the store proceeds support the STEPS program.

“It’s not just a store; it’s also a service to people,” Hooks explained, adding that donated items are often given to families in need of certain things.

Volunteers, supplies, toys, clothing, suitcases and cash donations are always welcome; for information, call STEPS at 782-7837 or The Purple Patch at 783-7878 or visit www.thestepsinc.org.